Blank forming apparatus



NOV- 3, 1953 l c. w. EADE ET AL 2,557,403l

BLANK FORMINQ APPARATUS' Filed may 29, 195o 4 sh=etss1w: '2A- Fig. 4

/NvE/vrons Car/@fon W 50de Affarneys Nov. 3, 1953 Filed May 29. 1950 C.W. EAD ET AL BLANK FORMING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fig. 36 F1293@Fig. 37

Fig.

Car/eran W Ende Will/'afinA W Schug ATTORNEYS INVENTORS Patented Nov. 3,1953 UNITED OFF mais rQaMINs @Prism-Us Carleton Earle, Milldale, Conn.,and William W. Schng, Hudson; N. Y.; said Eade assignor, by mesneassignments, to The Dalemill Com'- necticutg" andsaid" Schug assigner,.by mesne assigm'nents;` to Ernhart Manufacturing .Come pany, Hartford,Conn., a coijpgratid df Dela- Ware Application May 29, 1950 Serial N165.1086 claims. (o l. itz-77) .'ihis invention relates to blank`orrnilig .apparatus, and has .particular .reference to' Y"ethod andapparatus lfor coldY forming blanks, such for 'example ras nut orgrommet'blanksvand the like, irorn round mishedwire or rod stock. yPriorattempts to 'rnake square nuts from round stock in the usual nut Ymakingmachines have failed because of the difficulty of' forning the metal ofaround stock slug into a square shape'with the corners completelyfilled. NSuch an attempt illustrated in'. S. Patent Nurnber 2069,008 toJerome W. rl-In'tvard.v 'Inthe Howard patent, ,which appears to be'theclosestpir art, it'vvilibe readily apparent that the'nuts prduced ,arenot completely square because itis not pols's'iheretfore has been tocoldpunch or sheartheY blank -from hot drawn rectangular stock. `IIt' is aYvvelliknown fact that such material is rnore costly than round stock,and for this reason 'it always cost more to produce a cold punchedfinished square nut than to produce a hexagonal or' round nut which maysatisfactorily be inade fram round stock inacc'ordance' with priormethods.

Ihmaddition to the objectional cost of using hot'drawn rectangular stockas stock for "such use, there are many other disadvantages of this priormethod which are leliz\'.ii fiated by the 'novel blank 'making methodand machinery disclsed herein. "in the first place, hotdrawnrectan'g'ular stock must be pickled in acid to remove the Scale.

Thaelirnination of this stepresults in large savings in manpower andequipment. In addition t"this, coilsof hot drawn rods are frequentlymisshapen causing machine shutdowns and resultant loss 'in productionasWell as possible injury 'to employees. vSince round, Wire`or rods arenormally' kept in stock for the Aproducti'n of belts, the added'ne'edfor -hot drawn rectangular ystock Ifor .square nuts involves maintaining'two raw material storages and additional handling `syVagl-tgd blanks',resulting vin 'a rldl'ict 2 the pmduimrl .0f reached blanks sie.deca-1119.1'- ing theio'r'mins process .0f 99.1* impr@ handling timeand 4equipment savings also results in increasedtapping production sineour improved @01d Swaeed blanks. may bl'lpf e directly to .thetappingunit With no'l'oss for machine .chamferms and .buff 'fehl thisconnectionit should be' koted th tuj'vyhile the burrs on a punched blankinterfere vvitYlthe tapping operation and must' stette" rnovs, .theinitial chamfer on bothsideso o'ufr grii'prpved blanks, to be explainedmore iully'her not .only eliminates the possi litl "of any ing burrs butgives a starting gu1de fbi-accurately positioning the blank duringysuccedii tions. lThe production tir'ne"of"the"t`a eration is alsoincreased by this iriventi 'sin'ce the holes in' orlcol'd formedlblaiilisaie Indre accurately centered and have closer `diarit`ertolerancefthanth holes "n`co`ld punched or t shearedblanks Which arevery Often dsvtrt by the time lthe vholes Vare ready `to "be` tapped.'The more accurate alignment 'and clo'ser'tolerancin the holes of a coldformed blank also rnakel'p'ssible a` closeroverall tolerane'andlli'gherlass threadin the tapped holes.

The novel method embodied in this invention .of cold forn'ing"'s'c1uare`, rectangular `and`like .blanks 'froni'undnished Wire or rdsnptonly eliminates n'stof the vdsadva'lii'.ages4V f tlefpr methods but alsoresults in a superior poiit. Vill'ierel the punching operations'isedheretofore tended to distort the blank`s`,` the'present inventionprovides `undistorted andgreatly improved blanks with accuratelycentered holes. Frthernuts, ourimproved cld' forining'inethod'yeldsblanksjand therefore' nuts;vvith'flat and parallel fio 'faces' and withan appearance which is'su'perir from the engineering standpoint andfrfthe paint of Salesappeal.

By tvay Aofv example, from an overall production standpoint 'oui'invention results `in savings of app10VI1at1 '30% t 35% v@fut/h mltialneeded in making similar 'cold' punched nuts. With l,considerably lessmaterial wasteclfrfhe -scrap storage b'icapa'city 'can be -reduced and'lrfoval timeVv and "equipment are saved. Mostnotevyrthy, however, isthe fact that With 'ourf'nvelmtold raming @mais .da prs @more asinventin'thereis, for examplefan indreasnd prqdugiicn ser machine 0f@199m @0% ell/sith@ ridutsi bfilodldold Death .mit er similarblankpre'ss; utilizing the sante machine. Also of great importance isthe fact that there is much greater tool life with cold forming orswaging tools as against cold punch toois, and the setup requires lesstime and can be maintained longer. This increase in tool life and easeof setup also aids materially in increasing production and loweringcosts.

Our present invention, therefore, provides for an efhcient andeconomical method and the necessary apparatus for forming our improvedblanks from round stock. Thas has been `accom-- plished through the useof a novel pre-forming operation for applying the forming pressures tothe curved surface of a cylindrical slug, and irnprovements on aconventional dial feed type of die press. With this invention square,rectangular and odd shaped blanks may be produced rapidly, withsimplicity of operation and with a very low percentage of wastematerial. These factors together with the comparatively low cost of theround stock enable a material saving in this process over those of theprior art.

With these and other considerations in view, it is an important objectof this invention to provide an. economical method. for producing.finished square, rectangular and odd shaped blanks from round stock.

Another object resides in the provision of a method. for producing suchblanks from round stock in which simplicity of operation is achieved.

A further object resides in the provision of a method of forming suchblanks from round ste-c so that the amount of metal fiow in the formingoperation and the percentage of waste material is reduced. to a minimum.

A. still further object resides in the provision of a method of formingsuch blanks in which the flow of metal is always substantially downwardand lateral.

An additional object resides in the provision of a pre-forming or rstforming operation wherein a round slug may be transformed into a blankfrom which such nnished blanks may readily be formed.

A further object resides in the provision of a dial feed type of pressadapted to form such blanks from round. stock.

A still further object resides in the provision of a blank forming pressin which each punch may be individually adjusted in the vertical dinrection. i

Other objects and advantages will be` apparent from the followingdescription in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and from theappended claims. Y

The accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals are used todesignate similar parts throughout, illustrate the preferredeinbodiments for the purpose of disclosing the invention. rEhe drawingshowever are not to be taken in a limiting or restrictive sense since itt will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changesinthe illustrated construction may be resorted to without in any wayexceeding the scope of the invention.

1n the drawings;

Figure i is a plan View of a preferred dial, die shoe, die shoe coverand pre-forming or rst forming station arrangement;

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the dial taken through line 2 2 ofFigure i with certain parts ieft out;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the preforming station andits corresponding punch and punch holder;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the second forming stationand its corresponding punch and punch holder;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the countersinking stationand its corresponding punches and punch holder;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional View of the piercing station and itscorresponding punch and punch holder;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional View of the ejecting station and itscorresponding punch and punch holder;

Figure 8 is a plan View of the pre-forming die block; l

Figure 9 is a sectional View of the pre-forming die block, taken throughline 5 9 of Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a side view of the pre-forming punch;

Figure 11 is an end view of the pre-forming punch;

Figure 12 is an enlarged plan view of a slug before the pre-formingoperation;

Figure 13 is an enlarged end View of a slug before the pre-formingoperation;

Figure 14 is an enlarged plan view of a blank after the pre-formingoperation;

Figure 15 is an enlarged end View of a blank after the pre-formingoperation;

Figure 16 is an enlarged plan View of a blank after the second formingoperation;

Figure 17 is an enlarged end view of a blank after the second formingoperation.

Figure 18 is an enlarged plan view of a blank after the countersinkingoperation;

Figure 19 is an enlarged end View of a blank after the countersinkingoperation,

Figure 20 is an enlarged plan View of a biank after the piercingoperation;

Figure 21 is an enlarged end View of a blank after the piercingoperation;

Figure 22 is an enlarged side view of one end of the uppercountersinking punch;

Figure 23 is a side View of the piercing punch;

Figure 24 is a side View partly in section of a modied pre-formingpunch;

Figure 25 is an end view of the modified preforming punch;

Figure 26 is a side View of a modified upper punch for the secondforming station;

Figure 27 is an end view of the modified upper punch for the second.forming station;

' Figure 28 is an enlargedY side view of a modined lower punch for thesecond forming station;

Figure 29 isan enlarged end View of the modiu ned lower punch for thesecond forming station;

Figure 30 is an enlarged plan View of a blank after a modifiedYpre-forming operation;

Figure 31 is an enlarged end view of a blank after the modiedpredorrning operation;

' Figure 32 is an enlarged plan View of a iinished d-ouble chamferedblank;

Figure 33 is an enlarged end view of a finished double chamfered blank;

Figure 34 is an'enlarged plan View of a blank after a modified secondforming operation;

Figure 35 is an enlarged end View of a blank after the modiiied secondforming operation;

Figure 36 isV a plan View of a finished blank for a snath nut;

Figure 37 is a side View of the finished blank VKfor a snath nut;

a finished blank for inventiona hlanls; for a. srletll rollt .isillustrates. Fler lires lflr ariel 83, 9 all rid. .el slloit alolalllsfor. lill, .such these. leer loe. to he deserlloed with on me parishes.alle die leleolrfs-oftlre'lolaiilrior..

apparatus.

"elle forming lsolerle los oelrl sweetie, tllellew .of metal beingsubst... tl l. "a esw to the dlreetlorr of eressllre motel ltee.. roomtemperature or a temper ure below ,its reerysta-lllzatlorl pollrt-.eeeli lisse factors high. messuresk are llsed for tlee fe e7- In. thetype of forging -rlress illust, vte., in the drawings individual diesare .fo-.r eaoll onere ation. This. ls. a .convenient arl.eeonorrlloelerrangement silleeon any pressure et olie i the pressseveral operations ltr@ lelfltlrlll ull' taneously. l operationnecessary to form the blank neinformed on every pressure-stroke oi tllePrete The round stock is selected of a diameter to give the desi-redblank thickness and fed into theforging press assembly where it isroller fed through a Astraightener to a u-tostation where cylindricalslugs of an axial lengt-Irl` slightly less than tli'edength of a side ofthe blank to be f orrned are shear-ed' from the Wire. This portion ofthe assembly is not shown since it is oon.- ventional and is not a partof this invention.

Referring now to the drawings, and in partienlar to Figre 1, the slugsshown at y are con- Veyed from the cutoffV station by conventional means(not shown) and car-riedin the :direction o f the arrow af'clannel 22into an adjoining ,channel 24 inA thelrst forming die block .26, The.preforming operation? to be described here'- inater, is preformed atthepreforrning or first .formlos Stetiolr. eerlerallyrooloated et 2l erre.oorlverts the slugs 2B' intompartially `termed blanks, also designatedas 20. The blank 20 is ejected from the preforming station 2f! by somemeans $9610 ,'fl .9' 1.76.42' Qllllg Rlli? @Sigg QYQQEYSH' tionaldesign. ,nel 9Pl`rlti. The their pesllee aolrenriel it' orrrleol lolellitle plates 3.2

.fieltro nierrloer'l of tle r"ler .s .br

stelles sorevrs '.llle'to.

Y.olllarlrlel et is ln sert the lorelorllll.

2t. erle ill Part. tli'e die hoe eel/ol pla more frllly errlolelrrerlllerelllafter @est llliistreted in Fie-lire let Ythe. elle ol. channel.lrllslted lotoerl eoll'eoorlt rrotoll .3.1 oi .a olrorllar ooilveyor.rlroatesi it: 'Elleellrsf' is 38 to operating In the; presentellllooellrierlt e ll otl lorrllille; eseretlelis to be eselaieell leere.telly leter ere perforrrretl- 'leferrlrle to Figures l .elle 2., tielet is made 1.1.1.? of.; a hollow oyllndrleal bloolr le welch isrllellllterl for free rotetlorl oli e .stationery slleft 46' by means ofsuitable bearings 41e and' 48,. llelt lll is threaded trito the .iorelnepress tolster lit; Wrlieh .is seorlrerlto. the Pressframe .tootsllowlllf Qtr its ripper sideloloolr 45 .supports a liet lille shapedelise 5l Wllitll lreld irrrly in elaoe lofy rrlearrs .of e loekllletoller 52 which is. seellrelsi lilred to loleels te ley 'sorews 13-, asis best illustrates. irl Figure 2- Moorlteol .orthe lower .Sisle .olloloels et, .is e liet llrle.. shelled eser 5,5. lielol irl sla` by somesuitable .ineens sire-l1 as Sorews 5t Clear 'te is.. .tllrrleel by meansol e toeverltiorrel roller gear drive.1 riet Sllowrly Wllioll. .causes.dial 3.8 to. rotate llo e oloolrwlse tilrootlorr as. lll Figure 1- BYProloer ellilietllellt of the eear drive erle el oorllfelltiorrel'.oelrlmine- .arleerllent irl eolllleetierl therewith, titel t8,lrlterrrrltterrtlr rotated .or lllriexed irl iollese little theoperetirle stroke o f the press so that the .dlel aslvarlees thelolarrlrs @t trollo station te. stetiorr loetweeri oloeratirle Strokesarid.: rorrreirls stationary While the oloerflt.lorisv are teirleperformed.

Fettened. .toy tlle @liter esige ol else. 5l by ellitelole meerlls,elio-hes seres/stt .are e plurality of removable dial ,Seoters 5tl-Tllele is 913e 'lolerlk carrying notch .el in. Adial sectorf es will beapparent, the dial sectors E0 in vry be inter.- ehaneeel with otherdial, settore. llavllls e variety oi rlotoh Sitios arid slleoos toeooollllrloilete elly desired size or shane of ,erik- Bfeferrlrle rlowtov ll' lese-.6, tlle ioifslire .Press bolster is sllroW-rr. at fill.-Mollrlteel oil bolster t is the die shoe 6l which ,irl .Supports dieblocks tilllate and te tile elle shoe @over plete The die shoe tl isproperly loeetetl the holster by .moese of oorlels ilfFierlre l.; .As isrllost `oleerly illustrated irl Figures, l arie .rl-6 the .olie Shoecover serves to locate and lloltl the ille, loloolrs irr loositiorl etthe lower elise of eeolo elle tloelr; t3, t4 erro te, le eflaltee el;the elle slloe Cover 3e is lllotllerellt et 6.8 so that tlrelloriollttll edge 0f the lliidereut presses down or the llerlee 5l tosecure .the die block pos'tlen. lll .e flitiorly tlie die loloolrs keyedto'tlie C.lle shoe sever by eonverltioal means; llot Die snee .cover eeis itself. looated ariel. Seollrell on site Shoo il bl rrleerrs o felerrllllrre sores-s t9- etl above elle? in proper alienrneilt with thee loloolrs are .tlle Qllriohes lll, l2 alle l'l selollrely .tiered inseriell boitiers.. generally irldlf eatecl; et lty lt arid 8.o,respectively The means fer .eeetlrlrle the loerlollos 'ie the Dllrleliheldere for tlle veltloel .etllrletreerrt thereof will loo explained.hereinafter Punch holders le, lll arid llt are seollree. to e lilrrrehlleltler plate tl. by seme means suoli es screws B2. The pilrleh ,holderplate le .irl essere@ to the'V florales press slide,v riot sllewnfsothat plate 8l elle 'the' Dllllelr shown in Figure 1. Except for itslocation, preforming station 2'! is similar to the other operatingstations in that its punch B3 is mounted in the same manner as thepunches at the other operaiaing stations so that all the operations, i.e. one at each station, are performed on each pressure stroke.

The die cavity 64 of the pre-forming die block 26, Figures 3, 8 and 9,has a concave cross section as is best illustrated in Figure 9. In thedirection of the feed of slugs 2l] the cavity 84 is slightly longer thanthe length of one slug to allow for outward forming in the lengthwisedirection; it will also be seen from Figures 8 and 9 that in thedirection transverse to the feed or lengthwise di rection the cavity issubstantially wider between cavity edges 85 and 86 than the diameter ofa slug, the radius of the concave surface being larger than that of aslug, to allow for outward forming in the transverse direction. When theslug 20 is fed into the die cavity 3d it enters the cavity lengthwise onits cylindrical surface and fits loosely in the cavity in the lengthwisedirection; it is then accurately centered in this direction by operationof the punch 83 in its forming stroke. The slug is also centered in thetransverse direction since its cylindrical surface lwill lie in Contactwith the lowest point of the concave surface of the die cavity t4 whichlowest point is in the center of the cavity. In the forming operationthe slug will therefore lie spaced midway between, and with its axisparallel to, edges Sie and 86 of the cavity.

The punch 83 for the pre-forming station, Figures 3, 10 and 11, isprovided on its bottom or operating surface with a channel 3l havingtapered sides 88 and 89 which function initially to center the slug andthen to chamfer the slug edges at 9% and 92 as shown in Figures 14 and15. Centered within a bore in punch 83 is a spring operated holding downpin 93 which is provided for the purpose of pushing back into die cavityt@ slugs which tend to stick to the punch after the completion of itspressure stroke,

As is best illustrated in Figure 3, punch t3 is mounted so that thelength of its channel ii'l is at right angles to the axis oi the slug2li. It will be seen that on an operating stroke punch $3 will centerslug 2i! axially and swage it almost to outside size, and at the sametime partially atten and chamfer the top. Figures 12 and 13 showenlarged plan and end views, respectively of slug 2!) as it enterspre-forming station 3i. The slug is oriented in Figure 12 in the exactposition in which it will lie in die cavity 84 shown just above it inFigure In Figures 14 and 15 enlarged plan and end views, respectively,are shown of a partially formed blank 2@ after the pre-formingoperation. 'Ihe slug has been swaged to the cross section shown in theend View, Figure 15, while upper edges 9i! and u2 have been chamfered asshown by the tapered sides 88 and 89 of punch Si?. The other two upperedges, 94 and 96 of the slug need no chamfering since they wereoriginally portions of the cylindrical surface of the slug and after thepressure stroke are still substantially rounded as illustrated. Thus,during the preforming operation cylindrical slug 2? is crowned andpartially flattened without'completely Vcoming into contact with theconcave surface of die cavity Si; this avoids over-forming and leavesroom for the metal to be displaced by the second forming andcountersinking operations without causing an upflow of metal. Thus theflow ci metal in contact with tool surfaces in every op- 8 eration isalways down and lateral.V This is important because a downward flowvputsless strain on the punches and dies, requires less power and stressesthe metal less than does an upward now. This in turn provides longerlife for the dies, punches and press, greater eciency of operation, andprovides improved blanks.

Second forming station As explained hereinbefore, after a slug 2t hasbeen partially formed at the pre-forming station 2l, thereby causing itto become a partially formed blank, it is pushed from that station intoa dial notch 3'? of the dial 33 by means of the reciprocating push rod26. Upon rotation of the dial in a clockwise direction as viewed inFigure 1 the blank is carried to the second forming station 353 anddeposited in the die cavity of die block 3. At station 3il,.die block 63has a die cavity of square cross section, Figures 1 and 4. Punch 'illfor this station has a similar cross section and is madeV to closely tinto the die cavity as is best shown in Figure 4. Extending through dieblock t3 in a cylindrical bore isa knockout pin el which is reciprocatedby conventional means and serves to knock the blank 2@ out of the diecavity at the end of an operating stroke and return it to the dial notch3i which conveys it to the next station. It is important to note thatthe upper end of knockout pin @l in its normal position is always evenwith or slightly above the bottom surface of the die cavity. rihisprevents the chipping of the bottom of the cavity which takes place ifthe end of knockout pin S is positioned below the bottom surface, andconsequently prolongs the life of the die.

t the second forming station 39 the blank 20 is swaged to furtherflatten it and square its upper surface as may be seen from Figures 16and 17 which show enlarged plan and end views, respectively, of theblank after the second forming operation. The die cavity at the secondforming station is slightly larger than the blank 2t that has beendelivered to it from the pre-forming station and its dimensions are suchthat the blank is swaged to size during this operation allowing it to becentered in the dial carrier notch and in the die at the countersinkingstation. It will also be noted that the outward flow cf metal hasfurther squared the top of the blank by almost lling the spaces left bythe chamfered edges, and has flowed Vdown and outwardly to nearly fillthe spaces caused bythe curvature of the bottom. However, as may be seenfrom the end view of Figure 17, even though this flow of metal hascaused a substantial flattening of the bottom some curvature remains sothat roorn is left for the further displacement of metal .which willoccur at the countersinking station;

Countersz'nlcing station At the third forming or countersinking stationit die block Eli, Figures 1 and 5, has a die cavity of square crosssection of the same dimensions as those of the die cavity of die'blockt3 at the second forming station. The upper punch 'l2 for this stationis also square in cross section and is made to t the die cavity in aclose fit as is best shown in Figure 5. At its tip end punch 'i2 isprovided with a projection for performing a countersinking operation.Extending through die block Se and into the die block cavity is thelower punch and knockout pin 98 also formed at its end for performing acountersinking operation. As shown in the enlarged view of the end 9 ofthe upperpunch 12, Figure 22, surface 90 of tljie punchfisi taperedabout .5" degrees.- This is done "to p'r:ovideaA tapered recess whichvpermits engagementA of `the--` punch at about mid-depth-of the recess,with/jresultantC trapping-,of oil (intro duced by'l conventionalmeansnot shown) ahead of the punch, to e'iect' ahydraulic punching'iandease'of stripping'andjthus prolong'the life'of the punch. The end oflower punch 08 is also tapered' in'a similar fashion for ease ofAstriprii-'n'g and :for blank clearance. Lower punchSS isalso madetoAoperate as aV knockout pinjupon the completionof the'operating strokeYand operates the samemanneras' knockoutpin -91 -fatthes'ec ondstationtornove` the blankA up-into the dial notch. It should.f` also be notedhere that the lower-punch Mis-"larger by a fewthousandths Yof an inchthanthe upper'punch 12'?i11="o1":`le`rto` in# sure asubstantiallyfburr-free burnished hole at the piercingstation.

Referring to FiguresllS and 19 which show-fenlargedv plan and end*views, respectively of a blankY 20' after thecountersinking operationvit will"` be seenV that tire` metal displacedE by thecountersinkingpressre stroke has flowedf'o'ut to ill inVcompletelyftliespa'ces at the upperfedges of theblankwhich-'stillremained after the'second forming operation; thus theuppersurface ofy the'blank is completely' fla-tandsquare4 and no` tracesare-left of the two chamferededges or the other two` rounded. upperedges-which appeared'to be' chamfered due to the curvature of thecylindricalsurface;-v as explained hereinbefore thedisclosure-ofthepre-forming station. It will also be seeirthat thecountersinking has caused they metal'to'i-ow down and out illingcompletely the remaining spaces at theE bottom Aof thecavitycaused-'bythe slight curvature of the bottom of the blank which still remained.after the second forming operation. Toavoid confusion, however', itAshould be notedthatthe bottoms of the dieA cavities in both the second.and third operations are slightly chamfered'at .the cornerswhich-causes the bottom cornersof :the finished blank to"= havechamfered" surfaces .asisclearly'shown'in'jFigures 19 arid'2l Thus, atthe endv of the'- countersinkingwoperation the :blank 20fhas beencompletely formed-to thede- Asiredl blank sizeand shape'.

At the ourth'or vpiercing and burnishing sta. tion 4|, Figures 1:and 6,there is no die cavity in the die block 653 andi the blank is centeredand heldin position` by. the dial v38since the blank as'- prepared'atfthefcountersinking station forms its own dieA for th'efA piercing:operation.. Also', since there is no die cavity in die'block; 6F. noknockout pin is neededatthis stationtcxreturn the blank to the dial'notch 31. Punch' 'Mlat this station is fa piercing and burnishingpunchxwhich hydraulically removes; the small: slugr-` of metal |00,Figure 19, remaining between the `countersinks after the countersinkingfoperatitm'. The piercing head" of "punch-d4; Figure 23; is .providedwith a-'burni'sliingib'and I 00a, to :burnishithefhole punched intheipiercingroperation: 'Ilren head of' punchv 'Mf-"isfalsd-providedVwithaiconical'end lb",v ther tapered surface of" the conical? end beingprovidedftotrap-'oil and effectt'af hydraulic piercing as v:explainedinconnectionwith upper countersinkingpunchx'lZ.' e

Mounted .just above ther dial 38:-y is e aa stripper |0 |,.located asshown-inFigure l, and fastened to'thedieshoe cover 30hy somegmeans suchas Ascrews |02. Stripper .is .pierced at-thelpiercf 10 ing and ejectionstations so that the punches at these stations can pass through itwith aclose iit.y The purpose of the stripper is tov knock back into the dialnotch S'Tblanks that tend to stick tov punch 'Mafte'r theoperating'stroke'. In order to prevent the punched out. slug liromlike'- wise sticking to punch 74. and being carriedup.- ward, springoperated pin |03 is providedin the wall'of die block 6'5`as is bestillustrated in Figure 6;, .As-punch 'i4 'reaches its lowest limit thepunch and punchedioutslug |00' will push pin |03 tothe rightfasviewe'din Figure 6 against the action of itsfspring: WhenipunchM-.israised, pin |03 will be. pushed tor the.: left by its spring and knockloose .any slugflilii" tending to stick to the punch. Thexslug |00,willthen fall down through passage way if into asuitable bin orreceptacle.

Efiectiny station Ejecting stationllZ, Figures 1- and '7, is the fthandA nal operating station. No die block is needed at this station sincethe only operation performed isthe final ejection of blank 20 from dial38. This is accomplished by means of a punch |05 which lserves to pushthe blank out of the dial notch 3i so that it will fali throughpassageway |06 into a suitable bin or hopper. From the bin or hopper theblanks are carried or mechanically conveyed to the machine Where theyare tapped.. As hereinbefore explained', punch |05 passes through thestripper iH, Figures- 1' and 7, which serves to knock off blankstending-to stick to punch |05 after its operating stroke. 4 v e e Limitswitches Mounted onthe die shoe cover, Figure 1, are two limit'switch-assemblies which are provided to preventthe operation'fof'thepress'when no blank is `carried to anoperating station. Checking Ajaws;for-the-limit` switch assembly areV shown at |07. These are-undercut at|08 so that the undercut portionlild-of the jaw may be' inserted ahorizontal'V slot cut into a checking jaw bracket l0. The Ajaw ltl'ispivot'ed at one corner on'a pin1||2 iixedin the bracket H0. In thesame'planefwith thev jaw bracket slot vand normalto it' is'an-horizontalbore in which is ins'erted` a spring- H3 which pushes against the edgeof the checkingY jaw which is inserted'in the slot and tends to rotatethev jaw about its pivotl |-|2- in a counterclockwise direction asviewedv in Figurei. Atl another corner of `jaw lil'lithere-'is a'vertical operatingpin lill integral with'thef'jaw and which in itsnormal position isfheld-againstthef'actuating rod ||5L of-a staVtiona-rylimitswitch'control of conventional de'- signgenerallyjindicated'at H6. TheV switch controli i6 is mountedbysomesuitable means such as bracket IVIV secured to the checkingjaw bracket7^`i l ilby screws-1 l| 0; e

v It/.willj-be 4readily apparentfrozn Figure 1 that the-nose nemichechecking jawaci is heiaifin ts'normal :positionjas'flong'as there isablank Y229 inthe dial notchcl or'a.M punch' being pushed through thedial" notchv during an operating stroke. However, if for somevreason'there isno blankzinithe dial notch the nose H9 will be pushedinto the notchby; the action of spring 3 rotating the jaw |01 about itspvot point .l i2. When' this 'takes place the operating` pinY l ilif ismoved" from' switch actuating rod |15 allowing thfeactuating/rod.to'move out and trip' the swit'ch- 'Ihe llirnit switchwhich isgenerall'yin lseries with' afso1e`n`oid`is connected by suitable means to thedrive' of the' pressi assembly so that it",V is

1lV stopped when either limit switch is tripped. In this way injury tothe press and die mechanism is avoided in event a blank is not ejectedfrom the die due to failure of operation of a knockout pin, or a blanksticking to the punch and being carried upward with the punch.

Y Individual vertical adjustment of punches It is important in theforging press assembly that the punches at the operating stations beindividually adjustable in the vertical direction. In order to insureaccurate and efficient operation, the exact depth to which any punchwill descend on an operating stroke must be closely controlled. In thepresent invention individually adjustable mechanisms are provided forthe punches which not only result in accurate depth control but enableease of vertical adjustment and replacement of punches. The adjustmentor replacement may take place without using shims thus saving productiontime normally lost in theV methods of the prior art. This ease inobtaining accurate control, adjustment, replacement and use of smallperishable tools also results in prolonged tool life, since allunnecessary wear is eliminated, and the ease of replacement allowsdamaged tools to be readily replaced and repaired before irreparabledamage is done. Referring now to Figures 3-6 it will be seen that thepunch holder has an outer hollow cylinder securely fixed to the punchholder plate 8i by some means such as screws 82. Threaded in cylinder|20 is an inner hollow cylinder |2i of longer length than cylinder |29,and threaded to cylinder |2| are two locking collars |23 and |24 and anadjusting collar |25. The lower portion of the bore of cylinder |2| istapered at 26, and tted therein is a hollow frusturn of a cone |21 whichserves as a tapered collet. The collet |21 is bored to t closely theshank of the punch.

The initial and approximate adjustment is obtained by inserting in thebore of cylinder |2| above the punch a backing block |28 which serves toapproximately locate the punch in the holder. The shank of the punch isthen inserted into the punch holder and adjusting collar |23 istightened by some means such as a Spanner Wrench. At this time lockingcollars |23 and |24 are preventing cylinder |2| from turning relative toouter cylinder |20. As collar |25 is turned it will force tapered collet|21 upwardly until the punch is tightly held in position in the innercylinder |2|. After this is done locking collars |23 and |24 areloosened and the exact vertical adjustment of the punch is` obtained byfurther turning adjusting collar |25. Since collar |25 has beentightened as far as possible with respect to cylinder |25, furtherturning of the collar .will cause the cylinder |2| to move with respectto the outer cylinder i2@ until the exact adjustment desired isobtained. When so adjusted, locking collars |23 and im are againtightened against cylinder I2@ so that no further relative movementbetween any of the parts is possible.

Modified pre-forming and second forming operations Figures 24-33,inclusive, illustrate inodiied to have a finished blank that ischamfered o two sides, and this may be accomplished by modifying thepre-forming operation of the invention as will now be described.

In the modiiied form of the invention the preforming operation ischanged by providing a modified pre-forming punch |30, Figures 24 and25. Punch |33 has the same dimensions as preforming punch 83 and isprovided with a similar center bore and holding down pin Q3. However, inthe bottom or working end of punch |30 the channel 81 of punch 33,Figures l0 and 1l, has been replaced by a frusto-conical shaped recess|32, Figures 24 and 25; This modified pre-forming punch |33 will causethe slug 2B to be formed in the pre-forming operation with a deeper andmore rounded chamfer |34 on its top surface as is shown in Figures 30and 31. Pre-forming the slug in this way will cause the iinished productto be chamfered on two sides as shown in Figures 32 and 33 even thoughthe remaining forming stations are unchamfered. The reason for thisresult is because with the exaggerated initial chamfer |3l thesubsequent unmodiiied forming operations will not displace the metalsufficiently to completely fill the deeply chamfered upper edges. As aconsequence a modied chamfer |35, Figures 32 and 33, will remain on theupper side assuming that pressures applied throughout are the same asthose used in the principal embodiment. It will be recalled that thebottoni charnier is the result of the rounded edges or the die blockcavities at the second and third forming stations. Thus it will beunderstood that this novel invention can, by means of a modifiedpre-forming operation, produce blanks having a double chamier as well asthose chamfered only on one side.

It may be necessary in producing some sizes or thicknesses of blank, ofeither the single or double chamfered type, to perform thecountersinking operation in two stages in order to prevent overformingor overstressing the metal. When this becomes necessary the first stageof countersinking is done at the second forming station and the thirdstation or regular countersinking station merely completes theoperation. The third station, therefore, is not changed and operates inthe manner hereinbefore described. The second forming station, however,must be modied and this is provided for by substituting the modifiedupper and lower countersinking punches |36 and |31', Figures 26 and 28,respectively, for upper punch 10 and knockout pin 91 which are normallyused at the second forming station. Modifying the second forming stationin this manner results in a blank 2t partially countersunk at Mil asillustrated in Figures 3d and 35. The countersinking is then completedat the third station and the remaining operations performed in sequenceas hereinbefore described.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that this inventionprovides an eincient solution to the long standing problem of formingsquare, rectangular, and odd shaped blanks from round stock. By means ofthe invention such blanks may be formed or swaged from relatively cheapround wire or rods while the waste material involved is a very low '1 8per cent. Thus high quality blanks may be produced at a considerablyhigher speed than is attained by the methods of the prior art, while atthe same time effecting a very substantial saving in the cost ofproduction.

The invention maybe embodied in other specinc formsAfwitl'loit,deparising from the spirit or essential 'characteristicsthereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in allrespects. as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of theinvention being indicated by the appended ,claimsmrather than by theforegoing description, and all changes which come within the meaningandrange of equivalency of the claimsare therefore intended to beernbracedtherein.

What is claimed anddesired to be secured by United States LettersPatentis: *l l 1. In apparatus `for making four-sidedrnuts fromcylindrical slugs, means ,i for introducing 'said slugs in successionintoa first forming station, means comprising ka punch movable in adirection normal to the axisof the slugrat said rst formingstationvfordeforming the slug in the station into a fourfsided nut blank,militermittently rotatable., dialhaving a plurality of outwardly openpockets on its vperipheryshaped to receive the nut blanks, meanssynchronized with movement of said `dial for removing said nut blankfrom the, nrst; forming station and moving it into one of said pockets,meansedefining a fiatsupport surface for said nut blanks below thedial'having a plurality of die cavities at spaced circumferentialvforming stations about said dial into which earc'hnut'blank isdeposited when the dial reaches that position, nut forming means at eachstation, and means at each station operative after the nut formingoperation to return the nut blank to the dial pocket to enable the nutblank to be moved along said surface to the next station.

2. In apparatus for making four-sided nuts from cylindrical slugs, meansfor feeding said slugs in succession to a first forming station, meanscomprising a punch movable in a direction normal to the axis of the slugat said nrst forming station for deforming the slug in the station intoa four-sided nut blank, an intermittently rotatable dial having aplurality of outwardly open pockets on its periphery shaped to receivethe nut blank, means synchronized with movement of said dial forremoving said nut blank from the nrst forming station and moving it intoone of said pockets, means deiining a flat support surface for said nutblanks below the dial having a plurality of die cavities at spacedcircumferential forming stations about said dial into which each nutblank is deposited when the dial reaches that position, said supportsurface extending to said first forming station, and said means formoving each nut blank from said rst forming station to the dialcomprising means for sliding the nut blank along said surface, nutforming means at each station, and means at each station operative afterthe nut forming operation to return the nut blank to the dial pocket toenable the nut blank to be moved along said surface to the next station.

3. In apparatus for making four-sided nuts from cylindrical slugs, meansfor introducing said slugs in axial succession into a first formingstation, means comprising a punch movable in a direction normal to theaxis of the slug at said first forming station for deforming the slug inthe station into a four-sided nut blank, an intermittently rotatabledial having a plurality of outwardly open pockets on its peripheryshaped to receive the nut blanks, means synchronized with movement ofsaid dial for reprising means reciprocable substantially parallel tosaid ysurfaceandadapted to lpush the nut blank toward the 1pocket in adirection substantially normal tothe slug axis, nut forming `means ateach'station, `an'din'eans at ach'stat'ion'operative after 'the nutforming operation'to return the nut blank ytofthe dial pocket "to E'e1'ia'ble-the nut blank to be moved along said Surface lto the nextstation.

l 4. In apparatus Yfor 'making four-isided vnuts from Vcylindricalslugs, vlmeans for introducing said slugs in succession into a rs'tforming station, means Acomprising a punch movable `in a directionYnormal to theax'is of the slug atfsaid rst forming station fordeforming thesIugin thelstation into ya vfours'ided nut blank, anintermittently rotatable dial 'having a plurality of outwardly openpockets onlitspe'ripheryshaped to receive the ynutblanks,ineansidiininga fii'at support surface for sai'd :nut `blanks lbelow 4the dial havinga plurality ff "die"V cavities at spaced circumferentialformingfstations about said dial into which each'nut'blank isdepsited'whenthe dial reaches that jp's'it'in, saidfrstforming stationcomprising afdie block whose top is an effective extensionofsaid surfaceand is provided with a concave bottom die cavity of less depth than thediameter of a slug and a slug guide channel leading axially into saidconcave bottom die cavity, means reciprocable normal to the axis of theslug in said concave die cavity synchronized with movement of said dialfor pushing said nut blank from said concave cavity and sliding it intoone of said pockets, nutforming means at each station, and means at eachstation operative after the nut forming operation to return the nutblank to the dial pocket to enable the nut blank to be moved along saidsurface to the next station.

5. In apparatus for making four-sided nuts from cylindrical slugs, meansfor introducing said slugs in succession into a rst forming station,means comprising a punch movable in a direction normal to the axis ofthe slug at Said first forming station for deforming the slug in thestation into a four-sided nut blank, an intermittently rotatable dialhaving a plurality oi' outwardly open pockets on its periphery shaped toreceive the nut blanks, means synchronized with movement of said dialfor removing said nut blank from the nrst forming station and moving itinto one of said pockets, means deining a fiat support surface for saidnut blanks below the dial having a plurality of die cavities at spacedcircumferential forming stations about said dial into which each nutblank is deposited when the dial reaches that position, said dialcomprising a hub and a plurality of similar sector plates projectingradially therefrom over said surface, an outwardly open nut blank renceiving pocket in the outer periphery of each sector plate, meansdetachably mounting said sector plates on said hub so that said sectorplates are interchangeable or replaceable with sector plates havingdiierent pockets, nut forming means at each station, and means at each15 station operative after the nut forming operation to return the nutblank to the dial pocket to enable the nut blank to be moved along saidsurface to the next station.

6. In apparatus for making four-sided nuts from cylindrical slugs, meansfor introducing said slugs in succession into a rst forming station,means comprising a punch movable in a direction normal to the axis ofthe slut,T at said rst forming station for deforming the slug in thestation into a four-sided nut blank, an intermittently rotatable dialhaving a plurality of outwardly open pockets on its periphery shaped toreceive the nut blanks, means synchronized with movement of said dialfor removing said nut blank from the first forming station and :movingit into one of said pockets, means defining a flat support surface forsaid nut blanks below the dial having a plurality of die cavities atspaced circumferential forming stations about .said dial into which eachnut blank is deposited when the dial reaches that position, nut formingmeans at each station including a vertically reciprocable punch abovethe dial and associated with a die cavity, and means at each stationoperative after the nut forming operation to return the nut blank to thedial pocket to enable the nut blank to be moved along said surface tothe next station, and means at the periphery of said dial at one of saidforming stations operable to stop the apparatus when there is anincomplete sequence of nut blanks in the dial pockets passing throughsaid stations.

CARLETON W. EADE. WILLIAM W. SCHUG.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberNumber Name Date Reese Feb. 7, Ward Oct. 16, Bosler Oct. 8, Tideman Oct.21, Wilcox Nov. 26, Avis Mar. 17, Wilcox Nov. 17, Soss Mar. 1, SyversenFeb. 19, Harvey Sept. 24, Costin et al. Nov. 26, Howland May 5,Rosborough Nov. 30, Hungerford Sept. 1, Olson Nov. 24, Campbell Jan. 4,Hogue Oct. 31, McCollum Dec; 12, De Loe July 31, Burdsall Mar. 6, WilcoxApr. 3, Lyon July 22,

FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain May 15,

